Rotary potato slicer



Feb. 22, 1949.

Filed Dec. 17, 1945 s. M. KoBEY 2,462,105

ROTARY POTATO SLICER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 J0 ff" o SILAS M KOHEY A INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Feb 22, 3.949- s. M. KOBEY ROTARY POTTO SLCER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed Deo. 17, 1945 W m K M M m INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Feb. 22, 1949. s. M. KOBEY ROTARY POTATO SLICER 3 Sheets-Sheet3 Filed Deo. 17, 1945 Slo I o SILAS M. KOBEY INVENTOR.

' ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES ATENT/ OFFICEApplication DecemberV 17, 1945, Serial No. 635,463' 6 GlaimS.- (Cl.1116-1124).:

This invention relates` to slicing machines, and more particularly to' amachine for thinly slicing vegetables such as potatoes and the like. Thepotato slices so produced arenorma'll'y cooked in "oil 'and 'salted,'tobe" packaged and sold as potato'jchips i The capacity and 'reliabilityof 'operation of prvious'types of machines for this purpose have lbeenre'du'c'ed by fthe.,terdency"for potatoes 'to jamin' the machine, "Witlia 'resultant clogging cr' stoppage. Furthermore, the thickness' of theslices is ,not uniform,` 'tending to' 'vary with the size `and shape'ofthe potato, and a relatively rigid control over the ra'te of feed tosuch'machines'isnecessary, because the machines are insufcientlyilexible toaccommodate varying rates offeed, and particularly groups vorbatches of potatoes which might be' fed into the machines.

AAmong fthe objects Aof this invention are to provide a novel slicingmachine, particularly adaptedto thinly slice potatoes er the like; toprvidesuch a machine which will operate consistently, irrespective ofthe rate of feed; to provide. such a machine which will produce auniformthickness of slice irrespective of variations inthe sine of thepotatoes or the like fed thereto;

tov provide such amachine which requires little attention on thepart ofan operator, and will operate for hours Without jamming or otherdiniculty; and to 1provide such a machine which is sturdy and relativelysimple in construction.

f* Other.- objects and the novel features of this invention will becomeapparent from the followingI description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which: I

Fig. `l is a sideelevation, principally in vertical section, of aslicing machine constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is atop .plan view of a feeding device forming a portion of themachine of Fig. 1;

Fig. .3 is a projected side elevation of an upper portionof the machine,showing in dotted lines one ,w'ngo'f thefeeding device' of Fig'. 2;

Fig. 4 'is ta projected vvertical section taken along line 4%4, of Fig.2;

Fig'. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section of a section of an alternativebearing structure;

' Fig. 6 is va top plan View of a slicing device forming a portion of.the machineof Fig. 1;

'[Fi'g'. '7 isa sideelevati'on ofthe slicing device; and..

Fig. 8 i's a fragmentary section illustrating the mounting and action ofa cutting bladeor knife ft'fming` a portion of the machine.

The slicing machine forming Aone embodiment 2 of this 'iriventionyasillustratedin the drawings, includes a feeding deviceF and a slicingunit S, the feeding device F being "mounted in Aand attached to anupper-'section I0 of 'ahousing-I-I', While the slicing unit S isdisposed Within housing H beneath the feeding device. The upper 'sectionI0 of housing H isprefe'rably 'pivoted at one side, as by a hinge II,ona lower section 'I2,.s'o 'that the upper section may be"`moved out ofthe way for inspection'or adjustment o'f slicing unit S.' Upper sectionI0 may be secured innormal position, asby a pair of lugsA I3 oppositehinge II, and a removable boltv I4. The lower end of housing Hterminatesn an inverted conical .co1- lecting'spout ISjthe' outlet I6at'the lower end 'of which maybe' .disposed over a conveyor, chute, or

other suitable device 'for conveying the slices of potatoes or the liketo the'next point of treatment, such as amachine for 'Washing the slices.just prior to' cooking.A

Peeled potatoes arel suppliedtothe upper end of the feeding ,device F,as by a conveyor or chute terminating `atfaf suitable positionthereabove. It 'will be understood, of course, that other vegetables orother ,articles maybe sliced. by the machine,and'that'suitable'provision may be made, as explained hereinafter, formaking differenttypes of slices. As shown, the machinek is adapted tovproduce flat. slices .of-substantially.

uniform thickness but varying in ywidth in accordance with the sizeofpotato or portion thereof being acted on by the slicing'unit S.

The slicing unit. S may comprise Va disc Il,

which is'.v preferably rotatedat a relatively` high speed and is mountedfor rotation onthe upper end of al vertical shaft I8 by a collar iI9,which is attachedtolor :formed integrally with the disc. Disc` Il is'provided with a pair of op. posite'ly disposed blades V20, which ymaybe.

mounted `in any suitable manner on the disc, such-as. described in,detaillaten Shaft I8 is driven by fa motor -2-I, preferably mountedoutside housing' l-I and connected by a drive shaftY 22 with a 'Worm 23,Ewhich engages a Worm gear'4 2fl'mounted on shaftlii'.r A housing. 25,lformed of sheet metal or 'the like, may be provided to.

prevent accumulation of potato slices` about the gearingand shafting,while shaft 1I8 `may rotate in' 'suitable bea-rings, such'as bearing 26mounted on housing 25 above IWorm gearl'll, -and Aa l-thrust bearing 21-mounted below the worm gear. Thrust bearing 21 is preferably adjustableto regulatey the height of `disc I'Lfsuch as-to compensate for Wear. Theupper end ofshaft I8 may terminate approximatelythellevel :of,disc I1;\or a bear- 3 ing 28 may be formed in device F for the upper end ofshaft I8, as in Fig. 5.

The feeding device F, an important part of the machine of thisinvention, preferably comprises three equally spaced radially extendingwings 30, although any other desired number of wings may be utilized.The upper edge 3I of each wing extends radially from the -center to theedge of housing H, adjacent the upper end of the latter, and the outeredge 32 of each wing corresponds in shape to the inside of housing H,which is preferably circular. As will be evident from Figs. 1 and 2 andthe developed view of Fig. 3, each wing sweeps downwardly and forwardlytoward disc I1, but at a continually decreasing angle to the plane ofthe disc, until a very short distance above the disc. Thus, each wingterminates in a radial front edge 33, the under surface 34 adjacentthereto being parallel to and spaced only a fractional distance from theupper level 35 of disc I1, as in Fig. 3, such distance preferably beingnot greater than the thickness of slice to be made. Also, as is evidentfrom Figs. 3 and 4, the inclination of the rear wing surfaces 36 at thecenter of the feeding device is considerably steeper than adjacent theperiphery, but the lower portion 31 of the wing adjacent the center ofthe feeding device is considerably thicker, so that the under surface 34of each Wing adjacent the front edge 33 is substantially continuous inshape and relationship to disc I1 from the center to the edge.

Wings 30 may be cast separately and then attached, as by welding or thelike, to a central section of shafting 38, for instance, to complete theassembly, or the device may be built up in any other desired manner.Also, the entire feeding device F may be cast as a single piece. Thefeeding device F may be attached to the housing in a suitable manner, asby cap screws or bolts extending through the housing into tapped holes39, indicated in Fig. 1. As indicated previously, shaft I8 may terminateat about the level of disc I1, thus rotating beneath feeding device F,or a bearing 28, as in Fig. 5, may be formed in device F. In the latterinstance, bearing 28 may be formed in a central, lower enlarged section40, and such construction is particularly suited for a unitary structureor casting. Or, shaft I8 may extend upwardly to assume the position ofshafting section 38, inl which case shaft I8 rotates between the wings,the inner vertical edges of which guide the rotating shaft. For thelatter construction, separate wings are desirable.

Disc I1 may be at, but is preferably constructed, in accordance withthis invention, as in Figs. 6 and '7, so that the potatoes will besliced more evenly and accurately. Thus, the disc I1 may be providedwith a horizontal sector 42, just back of each blade, considering thedirection of rotation indicated by the arrow of Fig. 6. Each horizontalsector 42 preferablyincludes a small radial portion of the disc, such asabout 60 to 70. A sloping sector 43 follows each horizontal sector 42,and the sloping sectors comprise the remainder of the disc, each slopingsector thus extending for about 110 to 120. As in Fig. 7, wherein theslope of sector 43 is exaggerated for the sake of clarity ofillustration, the inclination of each sloping sector 43 is preferablysuch that the distance between the top of each blade and the adjacentupper edge of the sloping sector, at the edge of slot 44 between thetwo, is about the desired thickness of slice, such as 11e". A portion ofeach sloping sector 43 is occupied by a pivotal sector 45, which isattached to the remainder of the sloping sector lby a hinge 46 or thelike, as in Fig. 8, and which includes only a small radial portion ofthe disc, such as 20 to 25. Each pivotal sector 45 is adjustableupwardly and downwardly to vary slightly, the vertical distance to theupper edge of blade I1, as by an adjusting screw 41 mounted on the outerend of an arm 48, shown in Figs. 1 and 8, which extends radially fromcollar I9 and is formed integrally therewith or attached thereto in asuitable manner, as by welding.

Each blade 2|) may be mounted on the disc in any suitable manner, onemanner of mounting a blade being shown in greater detail in Fig. 8. Agroove 50 is formed in disc I1 along one upper edge of slot 44, whileone or more cap screws 5I extend through the blade to secure the bladeto the disc.

Referring again to Fig. 1, it will be evident that three identicalcompartments are produced between the three wings 30, each compartmentgenerally decreasing in height in the direction of rotation of disc I1.Potatoes or other vegetables or the like supplied to the feeding deviceF will fall substantially equally into the compartments, if the supplyis directed toward the center of the feeding device F. However, theoperation ofthe machine is not adversely affected by unequal supply tothe compartments, or if all of the compartments are full to overiiow.

Considering an individual compartment between two adjacent wings 30, andone or more individual potatoes supplied thereto, each potato, in turn,move downwardly in the compartment and also along the upper surface ofeach wing 30, or on top of other potatoes doing the same` until thefront edge 33 of the wing is reached. At this point, the rotating discI1, as by impact or bite of a blade 20, will carry the potato overagainst the rear surface of the next wing, adjacent the under surface 34for removal of a succession of slices by the blades 20. As the potatobecomes smaller and smaller, due to such slice removal, it is pushedfurther and further under vthe adjacent wing 30, until substantially theth'inness of a single slice is left. During slicing, the slices 49 passbetween blade 20 and pivoted sector 45, as is evident from Fig. 8,towfall through the disc and downwardly through the housing H intocollecting spout I5 of Fig. ,1. Upper section I0 of housing H ispreferably provided with an inwardly extending ledge 52, spaced asclosely as practical to disc I1, and preventing any tendencyforcollection or passage of material between. the peripheral edge of v discI1 and housing H.

It will be understood, of course, that there will normally be a row ofseveral potatoes being sliced simultaneously and gradually movingfur-4ther under the adjacent disc, and as soon as `one potato becomessufliciently small to providercom under the wing, the next potato movesin and the slicing operation begins on it. The inclined rear surfaceofeach wing tends to force the pc' tatoes down against the disc, and ifthere is only,

one potato in a compartment, it will be sliced effectivelyand quickly,due to the slope of the rear wall `of the adjacent wing and successiveimpingements of the blades on the potato. Thus,

the potatoes do not tend to bobble up and down in the compartments, butrather to feed down into the compartments. Furthermore, the slopingsectors 43 of disc I'I guide the potatoes accurately into the blades 20,and also prevent A W l v "fthe"`p'otatto ridefupuoverjthe bla'daorlbeyotherwisedisplaced-upon impact by lade.Vv Since` each-'slopingY`.sector '43 tenmiwt'esr`below^'then'upper' Vfor cutting" edge of ea-cha`idistanceequaltothe'desired thicknl, fo icejg'and each potato is helddown against'fthe'idisc--by th-e under surface of a wing 30, thesliceswill beuniQrmin thickness, irrespective of the'size orshape of thepotato. Thus, ezthere isziavpositive cooperation between the Afeedingdevice and the slicing unit. The foregoing results in steady, reliableoperatiom with little attention on the part of the operator necessary.

Aswill be evident from Fig. 4, the rear surf'i'ffaceSSgofi'eachkwingvnear the centerais almost erticalfso .there Ais little or notendency for iI'larger'S-potatoes to be-slicedat that point', suchfilarger potatoes gradually moving outwardly un- ;"stil afsufcient space.beneaththe adjacent wing fis "i finin'd;` f' This is advantageousbecause the vwrlineal`l speed of the blade adjacent the center is#considerably less than adjacent the periphery of disc Il', soytliatjslicing" vadjacent the periphery is not only faster but 'alsosurer. Also, the ceny trifugal force impartedj'tdthe lowermost pota-*ft'oes by-disc |l,tends tor move the underlying potatoes outwardlytoward the periphery of the disc, so that there tends to be a continuousmove ment of the potatoes in the compartment from the center toward theoutside, more pronounced when the compartment is full of potatoes. Inother words, the shape of the rear surface 36 of the wings is such as toassist the movement of potatoes from the inside to the outside of eachcompartment, since both the front and rear Walls of each compartment aresteeper adjacent the center of the feeding device than adjacent theperiphery.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the slicing machine of thisinvention fulfills to a marked degree the objects and requirementshereinbefore set forth. It will be understood, of course, that the sizeand shape of the various parts may be altered considerably, particularlythe angular extent of wings 30. Thus, the front edges of the wings maybe spaced closer to or farther from the next adjacent wing. Also, theshape of the surfaces of the wings may vary considerably, such as theupper and front edges being curved instead of straight. It will furtherbe understood that a single compartment having walls of the characterdescribed may beutilized, and that such compartment or compartments maybe associated with'a slicing unit which operates in a plane other than ahorizontal, or even a slicing unit comprising a plurality of bladesmounted on the periphery of a cylinder or the like. The slicing bladesmay have a curved cutting edge instead of straight, lor may becorrugated or the like to produce slices rectangular or square incross-section, or provided with sirnilar corrugations. Also, the bladeor blades may be moved relatively to the feeding device or compartmentin any suitable manner, other than that described above.

It will further be understood that additional changes may be made, andthat other and different embodiments of this invention may exist, allwithout departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for slicing potatoes or the like, the combination of acylindrical housing mounted vertically and having an upper cylindricalsection pivotally attached to a lower -cylindrical section,

" heath said-lower 'section adapted to act-'fas'abollectingv l spout; al generally fhorizo'ntal, vrotatable disc'havin'gj ppositely disposedhorizontalf'sectors noflirnitedf'",I'jadilal extent,"and sloping sectorsjex- `tending between `said horizontal sectors, saidslcpf ing sectorslbeingI inclined downwardlyin aA direceachslopingsec'tor andforming aportion thereof, l, 7,saidjpivotalsectors being of limited radialextent;

ean's for rotatingsaid disc about the axis ofsaid 'pair of oppositely`disposed. slicing bladesfinoiinted on the leading edge ofeachhorizon'tal sector;means for vertically adjusting each saidApivotalse'tor;l and means for vfeedingpfo'tatoes or the like to @saidslicing means, including -"edually "spaced radialwingsforininglcompartconvergingvtoward said disc so as to form a re-lstricted'spaceatvelsaid disc'of decreasing height fin the 1direction ofYrotation of said disc, the ,angle of the 'rear 'surface' ofveachw'v'ingl to said'pl'a'nede ments Iabo'vesaid slicing means, eachsaid wing creasing toward the periphery thereof, each said wing beingrelatively thick adjacent the inside thereof to provide a lesser slopeof the forward surface thereat than of the rear surface, and the outeredge of each wing conforming to said housing.

2. A machine for slicing potatoes or the like, as defined in claim 1,wherein said disc rotating means includes a shaft extending above saiddisc, and said feedmg means is constructed to form a central bearing forthe upper end of said shaft.

3. A machine for slicing potatoes or the like,

` comprising a cylindrical housing having a lower section and a hingedupper section in which the upper section has its major portion of adiameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the lower section andwith a major portion of its walls extending in a plane parallel to theplane of the walls of the lower section, rotatable disc-like potatoslicing means disposed in a horizontal plane substantially at thejuncture of the upper and lower sections, and means for feeding potatoesor the like to the slicing means, said feeding means including aplurality of equally spaced radial wings located within the uppersection and forming compartments above the slicing means, each of saidwings converging toward said disclike slicing means to form therewith arestricted space above said disc, said restricted space being ofdecreasing height in the direction of rotation of said disc-like slicingmeans, each of said wings having a thickened portion intermediate itsupper and lower ends with the angle of the rear surface of the wing withrelation to said horizontal plane decreasing toward the periphery ofsaid wing and with the forward surface having a'lesser slope than therear surface, said disc-like slicing means comprising a disc havingmounted thereon oppositely disposed cutting blades, a verticallyadjustable and radially pivoted disc section adjacent each blade, and asloping disc section adjacent each pivoted disc section.

4. A machine for slicing potatoes or the like according to claim 3,wherein the disc-like potato slicing means are mounted upon a verticallydisposed ydriven shaft, wherein a bracket extends outwardly from aportion of said shaft adjacent its upper end below said disc, andwherein said bracket carries the means for vertically adjusting aradially pivoted disc section relative to its particular cutting blade.

5. Structure according to claim 4, wherein the upper end of the drivenshaft is journalled in a lower central portion of the potato feedingmeans.

6. A machine for slicing potatoes or the like, comprising a cylindricalhousing having a lower section and an upper section hingedly mountedupon the lower section, rotatable disc-'like potato slicing meansdisposed in a substantially horizontal plane located adjacent thejuncture of the upper and lower sections, and means for feeding potatoesor the like to the slicing means, said .feeding means including aplurality of -equally spaced like radial wings located within the uppersection and forming compartments above the slicingvmeans, each of saidWings converging toward said disc-like slicing means to form therewith arestricted space above said disc, said restricted space being ofdecreasing height in the direction of rotation of said disc-like slicingmeans, each of said wings having a thickened portion intermediate itsupper and lower ends with the angle of the rear surface of the Wing withrelation to said horizontal plane decreasing toward the periphery ofsaid wing and with the forward surface having a lesser slope than therear surface, 'said disc-like slicing means comprising a disc havingmounted thereon oppositely disposed cutting blades, a verticallyadjustable and radially pivoted disc section adjacent each blade, and a.sloping disc section adjacent each pivoted disc section.

SILAS M. KOBEY,

REFERENCES CITED

